Last year a large-scale trial of four-day working hours per week involving several companies began in the UK. This is looking at the impact of reduced working days on the productivity and health of staff. In the initial report of the study involving 70 companies with over 3000 workers, 95% of the companies said there was no reduction in activity and some even reported an increase was detected.
Now 100 companies currently involved in the same study say they will maintain working hours four days a week. The decision was taken because no reduction in productivity was detected and the health of staff improved after making the change. Awin, among the largest companies in the study group saw an improvement in the quality of service and relationship with customers. Retention of the workforce also shows a positive effect.
In the UK the offer of shorter working hours is seen as timely as it was also one of the first countries to offer a 5 day working week during the industrial age. With companies now unable to offer salary increases due to the collapsing economy, reducing working hours without a pay cut is seen as the easiest solution.
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